A Large Trip For A Small Meal
by Caraleena
Summary: A more detailed version of the story Tobias told Jaron when he was trying to get him to smile. Please read if you like TobiasXAmarinda!


A Large Trip for a Small Meal:

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! It's all Jennifer A. Nielsen's amazingnesss!

A/N: I just LOVE The Ascendance Trilogy sooo much! WAHHHHH! I was just SO in love with the story Tobias told Jaron when he wanted to make him smile! When I read it I was like,"Oh! I must write a fanfiction!" Anyway, I'm not sure I can get the characters right, but I will do my best! Enjoy!

Tobias lay beneath the underbrush, fast asleep, when dawn finally came. He wasn't expecting to get any rest that night, thanks to the rain. Not to mention the fact that he had just learned of Jaron's death only a few days earlier and was still in bitter mourning. His worries were at their peak. All of Carthya was at risk of being destroyed and without their king the whole country was in panic.  
All of this should have kept him up all night. So why was he asleep? Maybe it was the warm body lying next to him. Just her being there was a comfort. She was the future of Carthya now. She was a small light in a cave of darkness. Although her light seemed to have dimmed since the news of her fiance...  
They had been silent for the last few days, barely saying a word to each other. He knew he should comfort her in some way. He should be strong in her time of need. But he had never been very strong... And yet it was his job to protect her...  
Opening his eyes, he saw the sun coming up. It was warm, unlike the cold, dark night they just had to endure. Perhaps it would be a good day.  
He turned his head to the sleeping girl by his side. She looked so peaceful. Maybe her troubles hadn't reached her dreams yet. Her brown hair fell over her face like a waterfall. She was not as neat as she usually was in castle, but even that did not take away any of her beauty. If she moved only a few inches closer she would be nearly on top of him.  
His face flushed at the mere thought as a pang of guilt stabbed his chest. How could he think like that? His king, no, his friend had just died.  
He shifted slightly, watching the sun rise. He couldn't help but think of Jaron. Wasn't he supposed to be the ascendant king? One who rises above all? Then why was it that he had been killed? Jaron, the boy who could sneak his way out of all problems, was now dead.  
_Its not true. It __**can't **__be true_, He told himself. It was as unbelievable as if someone told him the sun would no longer rise.  
And yet his logical mind knew different. He knew Jaron. He knew how reckless he could be. The chances of him being killed were high, no matter how much he tried to deny it.  
Amarinda stirred in her sleep as her eyelids slowly opened.  
"Tobias?" She muttered sleepily.  
Tobias sat up and turned away, trying to feel a little less uncomfortable. "The rain stopped."  
She sat up as well, looking around. "Oh my, the sky is beautiful today."  
"It is..." He agreed, glad that she was talking again.  
As they watched the sky, he heard a low gurgling. Surprised, he turned to Amarinda. Her face was red.  
"Are you hungry, princess?"  
She looked as though she found the question funny. "Of course, I am. We've been walking for days with barely any food. You should be hungry too."  
He couldn't deny the fact that his stomach had done it's fare share of rumbling over the past few days as well. Perhaps it was time to go hunting.

Tobias's idea of hunting was not the ordinary "kill animal-eat animal" ways of most men. He had no problem making traps and catching the animal, but when it came down to killing it his determination had always failed him, leaving him with one happy animal and one empty stomach. Luckily, Amarinda shared his feelings on the matter so they both agreed to hunt for plant life instead.  
To Tobias's surprise, Amarinda was quite good at identifying plants. She must have studied hard to be able to name so many. He had been studying medicine himself, so he recognized a handfull of herbs. Unfortunately they had no need for herbs at the moment.  
They had searched around for a while, hoping to find something, _anything_ edible. Tobias started feeling a little faint. He could tell Amarinda was too, but she stayed strong, running ahead, not showing any weakness.  
He was just about to ask her if they could stop for a moment when she gave a giant gasp. At first he though maybe she found trouble. He ran to her side, not sure if he would be much help if there was trouble, but her was there to protect her and he would do all he could.  
When he reached her, she turned. A smile lit her face. He stopped. It was as if the sun had risen. He knew the sun was already up, but since the news of Jaron it seemed the world had an eternal rain cloud hanging over it, making eveything dark and dreary. But in that moment Tobias forgot everything. All he knew was the girl who stood in front of him. Her hair in a tangle, her clothes stained, but behind all that her eyes were bright and her smile pure. He smiled back.  
"Look, Tobias!" She pointed to a large bush only a small ways away. It was heavy with plump, juicy berries. It was the second most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.  
In her hunger, Amarinda hurried towards the bush. She ran with such speed, Tobias was surprised she could move so fast in a dress and slippers. In her path was a exposed root. By the time he noticed, it was to late. Her foot got caught, sending her straight into a thick mud patch. She fell with a loud splat.  
"Princess!"  
She struggled to get out, only to become more dirty with every move. Tobias ran to her rescue, careful to avoid the exposed root.  
"Are you alright, princess?"  
Her answer was only a strange whine as she flicked mud off her hands.  
"The rain must have made this..." He thought out loud.  
Amarinda looked angrily up at him. "Yes, I can see that, Tobias! Now hurry up and get me out!" She snapped.  
He quickly waded in to help, but, to his surprise, he lost his balance and fell also. They both wiggled to be free, both in equally as much panic.  
Tobias couldn't remember a time he was ever this filthy, except for maybe when he had to fetch Jaron's crown from the river that ran beneath the castle's kitchen. That was rather unpleasant.  
The Princess looked quite frustrated. The future queen of Carthya should never have to endure such filth and yet here they were, struggling to get free from a mud pool.  
After much hardship, Tobias was able crawl his way out. Then he pulled Amarinda to safety as well. By the time they were both on their feet again, there wasn't an inch of their bodies not covered in mud.  
They took a minute to look each other over. Amarinda was the first to crack a smile and in second they were both busting up laughing. Something about the whole mess struck them as funny. Tobias had never laughted so hard in his life(especially not with a girl). It felt good.  
He watched as Amarinda leaned over, trying to breathe through loud giggles. She was beautiful. Even though she was covered in mud, she was beautiful.

After they calmed down, they decided they were too dirty to eat. Tobias found a pool where the night's storm had created a vibrant waterfall. They stood under it, letting the cool water wash over their heads.  
The waterfall was big enough, but Tobias still had to stand close to Amarinda. She was barely a foot away. He rubbed his face and arms, washing off the mud.  
The princess had her back to him, her hair pressed flat against her head. They hadn't said a word to each other since they found the waterfall. He began to think she was mad at him. Was it because he had laughed at her? Hadn't she started laughing first?  
Then he heard a small sniff. His heart stopped. Was she crying? She was standing so still, but he could hear her uneven breathing. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't really cried about Jaron yet. She had been trying so hard to be strong, she hadn't even wept yet.  
She had been trying so hard to be a ruler, a queen, she had to ignor her emotions. She had to be strong for Carthya. And yet, looking at her now, Tobias saw how small she was. She was just a girl. A girl in the middle of a war with so much responsibility on her shoulders. Even though she had just lost her fiance, she was still fighting.  
She was a strong person, much stronger than him...  
She stood before him, shaking with quiet sobs. He wanted to reach out to her, to tell her it would be alright, but he held himself back. How could he tell her something he didn't believe himself?  
He looked down into the water and mumbled, "You're so strong..."  
At first she didn't react, then she rubbed her eyes on her wet sleeve and looked back.  
When he saw her face his heart sank. Her eyes were red rimmed. Such a pretty face shouldn't look so sad.  
"You're strong." He continued, a little louder then before. "You're brave. Even though all these horrible thing are happening, you still go on. Jaron would be proud..."  
She didn't say anything for a long time. When her reply did come it was barely more than a whisper. "Jaron said something before he died..."  
Another long silence.  
"He said, if he didn't make it, I would become Queen. And that I would have to choose my own king..."  
Tobias was shocked at her words. His heartbeat quickened. Why was she telling him this?  
"If I did pick a king, I would like it to be someone I trust."  
"Yes, Of course."  
"Someone I've spent time with. We'd have to get along well..."  
"Of course."  
She turned so she was looking at him straight in the eye. The waterfall's water mixed with her tears as she cried, "But wouldn't that be like betraying Jaron!?"  
This time he forgot to hold himself back. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight hug. She held back and sobbed into his chest.  
He knew what she was feeling. He too had felt like he had been betraying Jaron, as if he was taking advantage of his death. But there was nothing farther from the truth. Tobias loved Jaron like a brother and would do anything to bring him back.  
"If Jaron said to pick a king then you're not doing anything wrong." He said, unable to think of anything better to say. If Jaron were there, he would know what to do. He was very good with words.  
Amarinda's cries calmed a bit. They stood in silence, holding each other as water poured over their heads.  
Finally, Amarinda whispered the words Todias had been hoping to hear. "Will you be my king, Todias?"  
He swallowed, "Yes, my princess. I will be whatever you want me to be."  
She nodded and even though they had been long clean, they stayed in that waterfall for what seemed like hours...  
Then they ate. 

A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Sorry it was soooo bad! I really did try! ToT Anyway- Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it...(even though it was horrible!) I really love this book! Tobias is awesome! :DDDDDD ByeByeByeByeBye! XOXOXO


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